My Experience Trying To Find Out Road Conditions

All I wanted to do was find out what the road conditions were in Iowa. So I thought, Go to McDonalds. I always see they have internet access. I did, and guess what, you need a subscription to McDonald's internet to log on. I don't spend a lot of time in McDonald's, just when we're traveling, so naturally I didn't have a subscription.

Then I thought, they always have it at the rest stops. So we got to the first one in Iowa on the south side. Pulled in and it wouldn't work. It sort of halfway worked ... at first. But before I got connected to the site that has the road map, showing green for good, blue for fair, etc., it quit working. Just sat there sputtering and never loading. It said it was "connecting" but it never did.

So we went on. I checked a couple other places, and it said there wasn't anything available. But at one of those places I might've had my wireless access off, since that was an issue later on.

Then we stopped at the next rest stop, and I was pessimistic, since it was going to the same place -- nomadix -- and sure enough, it wouldn't work. Just sat there saying it was "connecting" even though it never did.

Then at a gas station, there was nothing available.

Anyway, thanks to this great technology, I found out about the roads when I came to them. And not before!

A Big Difference Between Democrats And Republicans

When there's a terrorist attack, the Democrats rally around the president, like after 9/11, even when the president is a Republican. But when the president is a Democrat, the Republicans play the blame game and seek partisan advantage.

Who's the patriots in this picture?

The System Worked

It is shameful how the Republicans and some in the media, who are either too hyper partisan to care about the truth or to lazy to double check and tell the whole story, have twisted Janet Napolitano's words on whether the system worked or didn't work.

First, I don't know what kind of system they're talking about that will prevent every bad thing from ever happening. If that's the system they're expecting to be in place, they're going to be sorely disappointed every time. (I should say, in regard to the Republicans, to them any kind of terrorist attack is good news; 1) because they want to turn everything against President Obama (that's the kind of folks they are); and 2) because with fear mongering they hope to retake power, why? So they can fear monger us into keeping it, like they did in the Bush years.)

It's not too hard to actually see or read what Napolitano said. And anyone who knows how to read won't read it differently, unless, again, it's simply partisan spin you're after and not the truth.

Once this incident occurred, everything went according to clockwork, not only sharing throughout the air industry, but also sharing with state and local law enforcement. Products were going out on Christmas Day, they went out yesterday, and also to the [airline] industry to make sure that the traveling public remains safe. I would leave you with that message. The traveling public is safe. We have instituted some additional screening and security measures, in light of this incident, but, again, everyone reacted as they should. The system, once the incident occurred, the system worked.

First, there was an incident. That's the breaking in of reality against any system that is not perfect. How can any system be "perfect" against the countless variables that life presents? It looks like what she's talking about there is the system as it "reacts" to the incident ... in the phrase "everyone reacted as they should." Then the last sentence only says "the system worked "once the incident occurred." There's no other way to read it, except for ne'er-do-wells like the Republicans.

(If they can't read a couple sentences and get the actual gist of them, how is it we would trust us to keep us "safe" in a complex and dangerous world? Bush would actually be at war with Timbuktu by now!)

Standard Practice Not To Pay For Things

Finally, one of the Republicans accidentally blurted out the truth about something.

We know the Republicans are against anything that might add a cent to the federal deficit, even though the Democrats insist that their programs are paid for. And whether they are entirely or not, at least someone appears to be giving some thought to it and trying to make sure it's all covered.


How different from the Republican years, when they didn't care a thing about the deficit, and ran it up, leaving nothing behind but red ink. Here's the accidental honesty of one of the Republicans, Orrin Hatch:

Six years ago, "it was standard practice not to pay for things," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "We were concerned about it, because it certainly added to the deficit, no question." His 2003 vote has been vindicated, Hatch said, because the prescription drug benefit "has done a lot of good."

So his 2003 vote has been vindicated because it "has done a lot of good." I'm sure universal health care would do a lot of good as well. So why were the Republicans against it? Because they were afraid it might run up the deficit is one of their flimsy reasons. Of course we know they have a completely partisan reason for opposing it. Because they're actually afraid it will do people a lot of good and they, the Republicans, won't get any credit for it. They're banking on failure. If the country fails, then the Republicans will be happy.

I actually remember one point in the Bush presidency, conservatives were arguing that deficits didn't matter, as long as they were a relatively small percentage of the GDP. That was their argument then.

Lennart Sandbergh

This is the only JPG of this album on the internet insofar as I know. I've searched for it a few times and didn't come up with anything. I came up with another LP he made but I don't see any pictures of this one.

This one is not as good as it should be. I have a hard time taking pictures of LP covers and getting them square. They're usually at a little angle or crooked or something and I have to trim them to make a square. So it's missing some red, and it's a little crooked.

But it's still good enough.

This seems like an interesting album. I've heard it. It's very straightforward. No big production values. A man of devotion and his lute.

Lennart, according to other information on the internet, was the Rev. J. Lennart Sandbergh. He played this instrument, the ten-stringed lute, and according to the album cover, he was the country's only touring lute player.

The other info I got on the internet is this. He was born March 24, 1911 and died April 22, 1985. He was born in Holmsund, Sweden, and died in a nursing home in Rockford, Illinois. He was ordained in 1932. Some of this information is from "The Alliance Witness," which is online, dated July 31, 1985. Check cmalliance.org

The Alliance is a missionary denomination, and he began service with them in 1962, serving as an evangelist and song leader in camps and missionary conferences until he retired in 1978. He was closely associated with the Salvation Army as well.

He was survived in 1985 by his wife Karin and two children.

The record is on Christian Faith Recordings label. Catalog number LS-1239.

Side One: Beautiful Home; Devotion (Lute Solo); Cling to the Rock; Meditation (Lute Solo); Nearing the Shore; Nearer My God to Thee (Accordion Solo).

Side Two: Hallelujah, I Have Found Him; While the Spirit Passes By; If You Know the Lord; Forgive Me Lord; It May Be Today; In Times Like These.

The Notes:

Singing and Playing by Lennart Sandbergh

Formerly One of the Renowned Northlanders of Sweden

Internationally Known Tenor Soloist

Artist on Lute, Accordion, and Piano

16 Years Pastoral Experience

Meet LENNART SANDBERGH, the musician, and two things strike you. The first is an interesting Swedish background which manifests itself in his somewhat unique musical presentation. The second is his specialty instrument, the sweet-sounding, ten-stringed lute, which dates back to Bible days.

In his native Sweden, Lennart Sandbergh is an ordained minister. His 16 years as a pastor were spent with the Salvation Army and were followed by four years of musical tours sponsored by the Swedish government. His rich tenor voice and his adeptness on the lute, piano, and accordion quickly won the hearts of his countrymen. He has performed in England, Norway, Finland, Canada, Cuba, and in the Bahamas.

In the United States, Lennart Sandbergh together with Ake Forsberg formed the now renowned Northlanders of Sweden. Around four years, the inspirational music of this consecrated vocal-instrumental duo won praise at conferences, camps, and churches all over the country.

Now Lennart Sandbergh is on his own, and his musical ministry continues on the highest spiritual and professional plane. His distinction as the country's only touring lute player is some evidence of the rarity of that ancient instrument. But you soon see that his presentaion is rare also. To hear him is to be entertained, to be inspired, and to know that here is a man truly advancing the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ.

HI-FIDELITY ALMA RECORDS, INC.
33 1/3 RPM    RESEDA, CALIFORNIA

The Republicans Have Zero Ideas

The health care reform bill made it through the Senate, finally being approved 60-39.

Republican Mitch McConnell, universally known as a worthless scoundrel, had this to say: "This fight is long from over. My colleagues and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law. That's the clear will of the American people."

No, the clear will of the American people was made known in the 2008 election, which McConnell and the others ignore. Yes, with a lot of ignorant lies -- "Death Panels," "Killing Grandma" -- you can get a lot of people worked up. But that's not "the clear will" of the American people. That's demagoguery and fear-mongering.

If McConnell and the other crumbs had one lick of sense as it relates to "the American people," they would've been putting forth some good ideas over the last year's debate. Or, before that, they would've been doing something decent for health care in the years they were in power. But no.... It's easier to do nothing and tear down anyone who's trying to do something.

Where's the Republican ideas? There aren't any.

The Senate On Christmas Eve

They say the Senate is finally going to vote on health care reform tomorrow. In the morning, as I understand, so all the members can go do their Christmas activities.

Get it over with. I just wish it would be gotten over with! But now they have to work out some kind of deal between the Senate and House. Wow, is all legislation as tough to work through as this? It makes me feel sorry for the members of Congress. This must be why we keep getting Crap for senators. It's such a bad job.

Anyway, they have their rules. And their rules say it's better to get nothing done than to get something done. So it's a minor miracle that we've gotten this far. And that something is going to come out of it.

There was an article today that said it might all be delayed until February. That is ridiculous in so many senses of the word. Just get it done. I'll say it slowly, for all you congressional bozos: Just get it done.

Parker Griffith - He Can't Be Trusted

Another great moment in the history of political advertising: "Parker Griffith, he can't be trusted!" the Republicans declared against the Democratic congressman from Alabama.

Now that he's switched parties and will be a Republican, we wonder if they really meant what they said. "He can't be trusted," but they're welcoming him with open arms.

It sounds like they had him pegged right. If he truly "can't be trusted," he'll make a wonderful Republican!

Tom Coburn Prays For Robert Byrd's Death

In this season of love and lights -- of peace on earth, good will toward men -- it's so in keeping with the spirit of things that Sen. Tom Coburn (Republican scoundrel from Oklahoma) prayed on the Senate floor for the death of Sen. Robert Byrd.

Why this sudden dire entreaty to the Almighty? Because Sen. Coburn opposes health care reform so much, to him it's a terrible travesty that the elected representatives of the several states would gather in a democratic way and vote for legislation. Never mind that we voted for health care reform when we elected Democrats and President Barack Obama. Why should the country ever get what it voted for?

Why these cretins, the Republicans, can't think before they open their foul yaps, is anyone's guess. If I'm busy misusing my religion to pray for the death of people, I'd be ashamed (first), then I'd hope no one noticed, so that perhaps I might repent and be back on the straight and narrow path. More would be the pity if I did it right on the Senate floor, where comity and good will are supposed to reign. Isn't that the place where you say "My most distinguished good friend from Virginia" right before you stick in the knife?

Sen. Byrd is over 90 years old. He deserves more from his colleagues than that.

Of course it's hard to come up with a one-to-one way of judging prayers and their results, since the Almighty is nothing if not inscrutable. But we can't help thinking perhaps God rejected Sen. Coburn's prayer and must favor some sort of health care reform in this country. Or maybe God just wants a better quality of prayers from His so-called followers. Like praying at football games that our team might win!

The Senate's Going To Vote

I guess it's tonight ... or early in the morning, like 1 a.m., they'll be voting on something in the Senate relating to the health care bill.

I don't care for all their weird, arcane rules in the Senate. It would be better if they could simply do things in a common sense way. But they have their traditions. The whole thing about the filibuster ... I'm not a big proponent of that. I know it's been good to some extent in the past. But the Republicans have abused it. Which is ironic, because just a few years ago, when they were in the majority, they were arguing that the filibuster was unconstitutional. So it appears their principles are based on whose ox it is getting gored!

Anyway, whatever they're going to vote on tonight will advance it a little farther. Then perhaps, if everything goes well, they'll get something out of the Senate by Christmas Eve. Then they have to haggle it out with the House -- another round of sausage-making -- and finally, sometime, in the New Year, we'll have a bill on the president's desk for him to sign.

I hope it does the Democrats some good in 2010 to have this accomplishment. And I hope the "No" mentality of the Republicans -- worthless obstructionists every one -- comes back to bite them severely. May they go down the drain.

I like my Amazon.com ad for this posting. Band-Aids. Because if we're going to have health-care, what's health-care without something to put on your cuts? But, really, are there people who buy their Band-Aids on Amazon.com? Do you not have a grocery store in your area?

Technically, I need to say Band-Aid brand adhesive bandages. To help protect their trademark. I believe in saying things properly.

Health Care Reform Will Pass The Senate

I know a lot of people are fed up and angry about the health care negotiations in the Senate. So am I. But I'm not willing to throw my lot in with those who want to "Kill the Bill" and have nothing. Because apparently we're never going to get everything we want in this country, not as long as we have the big insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, and other assorted criminals dictating policy. And they're not going anywhere soon. So we may as well get what we can get.

Am I happy with President Obama? Not entirely but I'm not entirely unhappy either. He might just be pragmatic enough to know this is what he was going to get, no matter how much he twisted arms and kicked butts. Still, it'd be nice to see him throw some muscle around occasionally.

As for Harry Reid, I guess if we assume he has the same troubles as everyone else, the fact that some of our Democratic senators are just naturally recalcitrant, he probably did what he could do as well. So apparently they're going to get something done. And I believe that something is better than nothing.

One reason, it gives us something to build on. If we simply started over, then there's no guarantee we wouldn't get something worse. Hopefully, we can tweak what we have and make it better over time.

I wanted a lot more. But when it comes to these guys in the back pockets of special interests, of course we're not always going to get what we want.

Next time let's have fewer Republicans and more Democrats in Congress. Then our chances of negating crumbs like Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman will be greater. The bigger our margin, the less influence these cretins will have.

Evernote, Worth Checking Out

First, I'm not an affiliate. I don't get any money for saying nice things about Evernote. No one's paying me.

But Evernote is a great program. You ought to check it out, if you're the kind of person (like me) who likes to keep track of information, even trivial stuff.

It's good for clipping stuff from the web too. And I found you can upload pictures of documents, whatever, and it not only keeps it in place, and stores a copy on your computer if you have the desktop client, but it does some kind of background OCR on it and you can search for words in the picture! That's great!

I've been working with it and uploading stuff. I'm about tapped out on my monthly allowance.

I didn't think I wanted to have the client on my computer, because of course it's storing everything on the computer forever. Then it syncs it with their server. I certainly didn't want it on my old computer -- I did have it but didn't use it much -- because I only had about 10 gig left of memory. It was a small hard drive.

Now with my new computer, there's still over 200 gig left, so I can handle it for a while. It'll take forever -- probably never make it -- for me to put that much stuff on Evernote.

One interesting thing about it, you can go to the website then, from any computer, type in your password and see your information. It's evernote.com, as you might guess.

I'm Not A Fan Of The Senate

This having exactly 60 in the Democratic caucus sucks.

We either need 68-70 or 40-50. Then we could definitively get something done. Or definitively not get anything done.

This majority, having a so-called filibuster-proof majority, isn't squat when you have individual ne'er-do-wells in the caucus who are willing to gum up the works at their own personal whim.''

Having the single senator who can bring everything to a screeching halt, or who can dictate that everything will crash and burn, is an extremely bad system.

Down with the Joe Liebermans, Ben Nelsons, and Benedict Arnolds of the world!

Anonymous Is Unmasked

We've all seen books of poetry and the occasional piece of music that were written by Anonymous. Anonymous is a very cagey name, helping you maintain your anonymity, but when it comes to the ego you're not getting much credit.

Yet we continue to see it, with many quotes, many poems.

I think people ought to believe me, since they have very little reason not to, when I say that I wrote the things that are signed Anonymous. If you can prove I wasn't alive when it was published, like says it was published in 1895, that would be a stumbling block for me, but thanks to the various unknowns surrounding the teachings of reincarnation, I can think of a workaround for it.

What if a guy did claimed to be the long lost Anonymous, now seeking recognition, and, as a sign of good faith, promises that all his back royalties (and future ones) will go to charity, the name of the beneficiary being, of course, kept anonymous.

Lieberman

What can you do with a guy like this? One guy who wants to sink the whole thing. It's unconscionable.

If I were him, I'd seriously try to fit in, seriously try to look out for the public good. I just don't see how you can be a U.S. senator and go so rogue. It's weird.

But my personality is one of "going along" when common sense seems to be on the side of a particular path. I'm contrarian to a certain extent, but it's not pathological. I have the public good in mind, I care about people's needs and feelings.

It would be very tough for me to be hated by the rest of the party I'm caucusing with. Very tough. I'd have a tough time getting up, going to work, and attending meetings with everyone, knowing everyone there wished I'd buzz off.

It's a real tragedy that Lieberman won his Senate seat back a few years ago. The guy is a definite scoundrel.

All Kinds Of Excitement In The Senate

It sounds like they've been stymied once again in the Senate on the health care bill. That is, Joe Lieberman has done his thing and insisted that they gut the provisions in the bill.

Joe Lieberman is one person I truly do not like. I still can't believe he was on the ticket in 2000. I thought Al Gore was supposed to be a smart guy.

Those Disgusting Cheneys

The disgusting Cheneys -- Father and Daughter -- continue to slander President Obama. Anything and everything he does is something that comes in for their harsh criticism.

I don't know if he snores, but if he does, please don't tell the Cheneys.

Whatever happened to the good old days, the previous eight years, when a president could do no wrong? I believe it was the Cheneys who believed in something called the Unitary Executive Doctrine, that a president couldn't be wrong simply by virtue of being the president.

It seems that they've changed their mind.

The Budweiser Outtakes

I was in a restaurant today looking at a nice Budweiser Christmas card, a display on the table advertising their product and wishing us a good holiday.

There was nice picture of the Clydesdales and the spotted dog they have.

It made me think of how they're featured in the touchy feely ads, marching through the snow. The dog -- what's the dog do? -- sitting on the seat of the wagon.

Then it made me think of how they make the ads. Since you can't have a horse dropping a load in the ad or the dog peeing on something.

In all this thinking, it occurred to me that someone at Budweiser, or the ad agencies, must have quite a bloopers reel of the horses and dog. With the director shouting, "Cut! Put down some white snow there, backup, we'll shoot again in 15 minutes!"

I Cleaned Out My Desk Drawer

That sounds exciting, doesn't it?

It's not exciting, but it's an interesting process, except for the fact that I can't wait to get done when I'm doing unpleasant tasks like this.

It's weird, all the stuff you find.

This is the center drawer on the desk where I sit at my computer. I do lots of things with that drawer, mostly pulling it out and putting bowls of cereal, a plate with a bagel, etc., on it. And there's always such a load of junk in it that it's easy to do.

But now, tomorrow, I'll have to come up with some other arrangements, because I cleaned it out, and all the newspapers, phone book, and padding that supports plates is no longer there.

The interesting thing to find: little temporary credit card numbers over the last few years, scraps of paper with people's addresses, email addys, phone numbers, etc., business cards of people I met years ago, etc. I was researching a chiropractor from Kansas one time, trying to match him up with some papers I came across, and his contact information was there. Or his father's, something.

I kept the father's name and threw away the contact information for the son.

Money was in there, pennies, a nickel, a couple quarters. Some dead batteries. And lots of little miscellaneous crap, thumbtacks, pens, some literature on the Gigabeat, which is now out of my life forever. A couple CDs, some small books, a holy card with St. Teresa of Lisieux, a spoon, various bills, screw drivers, a tiny wrench, a cut up credit card, some Post It pads, etc., etc.

It's nice to have it clean!

In A State Of Agitation Against Congress

Grrr. These guys don't deserve to "represent" turds in a septic tank.

The Republicans in Congress are totally worthless. The Democrats in Congress are spineless, corporate sell-outs. Which is worse? The Republicans, obviously. Which is next worst? The Democrats, or I should say the so-called Democrats.

Good grief. You'd actually think these bozos, ne'er-do-wells, and halfwits would actually want to get something positive accomplished on health care. We are the people who vote, right? If they could just extricate themselves from the big insurance lobby's pocket for five minutes, and perhaps unpucker their lips, suctioned tightly against the backside of some fat cat, maybe they'd see their way clear to serve us, We The People.

I can't believe we can't get anything decent done in this country. Remember "Yes We Can"? Another empty slogan.

President Obama doesn't seem to be helping matters.

Grrrrr.

Dems Screw Us Over On Public Option

Bad news. It sounds like the public option is officially out.

A big raspberry to the faux Democrats in Congress.

The Republicans In Congress Are Idiots

And worse than that, they're worthless idiots.

Harry Reid likened their obstinacy to health care reform to the same old obstructionism that was in the way for abolishing slavery, women's rights, and civil rights. There's always someone (Republicans) who say the time isn't right, go slower, and start over.

And he's right.

So what do the Republicans say in response. Nothing but their usual "feigned outrage," that anyone would dare call them out.

Well, the fact is, they're trying to shut down the Congress' ability to get anything done. They have very selfish political interests at stake here. As far as they care, the whole country can go down the toilet. Just so their short term (and corporate) interests aren't disturbed.

Bah. I wouldn't vote for a single one of these Republican crooks if they were the only ones on the ballot. Vote 'em out is more like it.

Way to go, Harry. Speaking truth to idiocy.

Keep The Word Ho Sacrosanct

Last year I heard someone bemoaning the fact that we might have to not use the word "Ho, ho, ho" as Santa's default laugh. This, because some idiotic ne'er-do'wells have preempted it as a shortened version of the word "whore."

That's ridiculous on many levels, which I probably don't need to specify entirely. It basically comes down to, If we don't know the meaning from the context, and if we can't separate these things out, and if we can't guess which meaning came first, blah blah blah, then we're stupider than I thought.

We used to play the game "Horse" with our dad and uncles. And we were kids, we didn't know about whores in those days. Probably kids do today, but back then, let's just say it was a more innocent time. If you know the game, you know you need to keep track of what you have. I can't think of how it goes exactly. But you step through the letters of "horse" after having shot the basketball. You come to "hor," and the kid, me in some cases, is going, "I've got a HOR." The adults are looking very uncomfortable. "He says he has a whore."

Personally, I would like to get rid of this ruining of our language by calling a whore a ho. If you're going to refer to whores, just say whore. Don't ruin Santa's laugh. He shouldn't have to change to a chuckle or a snicker. A good old fashioned Ho Ho Ho is just right.

The War On Christmas Knocks Off Peanuts

The idiocy of the far right is reaching new levels of absurdity. Can this be serious? I'm seriously asking, Can this be serious?

Search for the details if you want to know more. But I read at least the headlines today that some politician in Tennessee thinks that President Obama's speech the other night at West Point might have been an islamofascist plot, some kind of nefarious manifestation of the War On Christmas.

Why? Because apparently the Charlie Brown Christmas show was supposed to be on one of the channels and it was preempted by the president.

Stay tuned. We're waiting for the next idiot. We want to see if any of these morons can top that?

My Windows 7 Computer

I finally got a different computer. I'm still using my old ones, though, because I haven't got everything installed on my new one, plus I'm thinking I might need to, because it doesn't seem like everything I used installs quite right.

I have some sound editing software, and there's some flukey thing about Windows 7 not having a way to record sound without having the built-in microphone also on. A big duh moment there for Microsoft? A giant step backwards?

My old Eudora mail program wouldn't install.

And I have some other work software that I haven't gotten around the testing, but I'm having my doubts. Meaning I'll be using these XP computers as well until they absolutely die.

The Democrats Trying To Cut Off Funding

I heard a report on CNN about many Democrats in Congress want to cut off funding for President Obama's plans for Afghanistan.

I find that disturbing. He's their President! Where were they when all the funding was going to President Bush's efforts? As I recall, yes, some wanted to cut off funding here or there. But they never got it done. Because there was a lot of paranoia that the Republicans would be able to successfully paint them as weak on defense, hating the troops, etc.

Now the Democrats are in power (sort of), with a Democratic president. And this is the time they pick to make a bold move?

It's real stupid. If they wanted to stand up to a president, as seems to be their daily inclination these days, they should've stood up to Bush.

As to Afghanistan, it might've been over with by now ... if the Democrats had exercised their desires to stand up to a president back when it came to the Iraq war buildup. Where were they then? Rolling over and playing dead for George Bush and his merry men of liars and crooks.

The President Is Going To Be Talking

I wonder if that one channel -- Fox -- will interrupt their programming to put the president on.

If they do, that's good. If not, I won't be watching it anyway. Since I already have other choices.

What exactly there is left to say, who knows? It seems like they've been systematically leaking the entire thing the last few days. With today's big revelation being that we are planning to withdraw (or start) from Afghanistan in 2011.

I heard that old canard that the enemy will wait us out, then move in. That's crazy. We have to act like we're staying everywhere for infinity to keep the enemy guessing? No. If we know when we're leaving, maybe it will make us focus and get the job done. No goal, no pressure.

There were many things to hate about the Bush administration. Everything for them was open ended. Wars were to be started, never ended. It was patriotic to start a war, unpatriotic to end one. The enemy was always in its last throes, but never quite vanquished. The big thing for the Bushies was to keep Halliburton in the green, not to win the wars. Their doctrine was, Perpetual War, Big Bucks.

Now Dick Cheney, that scourge, says he and the Bush administration has no responsibility for the state of affairs in Afghanistan. It's interesting to see Cheney's as disconnected from reality as ever. Too bad he's not in his last throes. Except the last throes for Cheney means perpetual existence, which we don't want. Someone check the Karmameter. Cheney's has to be beeping, smoking, or something.

Am I watching the President? I'm planning to. I support him, by the way. Get the stinking job done, at least sufficiently done to say we gave it our best effort. Then get out. Maybe get bin Laden, if he's still alive.

No Clemency For Huckabee

It must be awful, having your presidential hopes riding on the behavior of outlaws and murderers. If one of them acts up, it sinks you. That would be tough.

But that's the situation for Mike Huckabee, whose record as Arkansas governor of releasing dangerous criminals is notorious -- it was strictly an open door policy. It's a good thing he's a religious man, because he has to pray every single night, "Please God, don't let one of these idiots screw up."

Well, they haven't found the guy guilty yet -- they haven't even caught him -- but it's sounding like a guy named Maurice Clemmons might have something to do with the killing of the four police officers this weekend in Washington state. Coincidentally the same Maurice Clemmons that Huckabee gave clemency to close to 10 years ago.

Everyone who's old enough remembers the 1988 campaign, where Dukakis was hammered for signing off on Willie Horton's release. If that was a disqualifier back then, this looks like it ought to be one too.

Huckabee, a nice guy ... but since he's a Republican, a dangerous guy ... maybe a little more neutralized now as to his danger.

Tiger Woods In Accident

I didn't read the details, but there's something in the news about Tiger Woods being in an accident that wasn't really an accident. I don't know what it is.

It sounds like he and his wife got into some kind of fight. Next thing they knew, he was injured, then they wrecked, then she had to bash out the back window with a golf club. I saw a headline a while ago that said he was "embarrassed" by it, so, without looking at the details, that tells you right there it wasn't a normal wreck.

Definitely it's times like this it doesn't pay to be famous!

Palin Quits 5K Run

Sarah Palin was running a 5K in Washington, the state, but dropped out before finishing.

Are we seeing a pattern yet?

The Uninvited Met Obama

There's something strange going on at the White House. The apparently uninvited pair who reportedly crashed the state dinner say they were invited. They have a lawyer who said that.

It would be better for the Secret Service if they can get it clarified that indeed they were invited. Because then it wouldn't look like such a terrible breach of security.

Now there's a picture of them meeting with President Obama!

I hope things like this don't happen again.

My Knees Going Bad?

I have some play in my knees these days. I notice if I sit with my legs pulled in for too long, I stretch them out and my knees both pop.

I don't like this because it's something fairly new. It might mean something is seriously going wrong with my legs. I hope not.

Maybe I should exercise more. Maybe I should exercise less.

Someone Crashed The Dinner

I forget their names. I hadn't heard of them. But it was reported on CNN as a breaking story.

They had the big state dinner with the head of India, of course including many dignitaries from politics and whatever. I wasn't invited, so it can't have been too big a deal.

In the midst of it -- and it wasn't known that they weren't invited -- a couple (having something to do with a reality show) came strolling in, all dressed up, looking like celebrities being received on the red carpet.

They posed for a number of pictures, which CNN showed from Facebook, as they were with Joe Biden and Rahm Emanuel.

That would take guts. But also luck, that there's someone stupid enough at White House security to be passing people through who aren't on the list.

Someone on CNN suggested this could be a felony and these people could be in real trouble.

R. Crumb's "The Book Of Genesis"

I saw this mentioned somewhere one day and immediately ordered it at Amazon. They said there it wouldn't be shipped for maybe two months. But then I got a note that it would be available earlier. So it came yesterday.

It's R. Crumb's "The Book of Genesis," a beautiful big book of cartoon illustrations of all 50 chapters of the first book of the Bible.

I have to say I love it. This is the way the Bible needs to be illustrated, with all the grittiness of real life right there before you. I think reading through it slowly is a devotional experience and I say that truly.

Maybe the most famous thing about the book, which has to be mentioned, is that the sex stuff of Genesis is illustrated. And even then it's not so much in your face, but just shows what the text says. It's before you but even then it's still nicely reserved. Anyway, to see Adam and Eve, Abraham, Lot, etc., in the buff is a good thing, illustrating these holy stories in a great way.

I think Crumb did a masterful job and was very reverent about the whole thing. I'd love to see what he could do with Ezekiel, but that one might be not quite as popular. I'm sure he could do some stunning esoteric things with it though!

I read through the story of Judah and Tamar last night. How beautiful it is. Tamar pretended to be a cult harlot in order to raise up seed for her dead husband. She wasn't just horny and wanting to get it on with Judah. It's great to see her resolve illustrated there and the way she takes Judah's things which she later uses to identify him as the person she had sex with. She's about to be killed for having played the whore, but suddenly it's obvious to Judah what she had done and how honorable she was.

Today I started at the beginning and read about the Creation. I love seeing God as this radiant, beard-flowing wild-eyed mystic deity. When He's searching for Adam in the garden, it's very powerful. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

I looked at other things too and got the same impression. It's stunning and a great book.

How's Our Confidence Level?

How's our confidence level going into the health care debate on the Senate side? I've been away most of the day today and haven't been hearing the news. But just glancing at it after getting home, it sounds like there's some confidence that the Democratic traitors who've threatened to filibuster might not prevail.

That would be positive. O! if we could only replace them with more dependable Democrats! That would be great! It sucks to have the majority, then to have our own people become the sticks in the mud. You'd think we'd be so stoved up after Republican misrule all those years that we'd be itching to get something positive done in this country. But some of them like the spotlight, it seems.

Who knows what we're going to get? But it sounds like it will at least be something. A free Band-Aid for every child or something. A red lollipop after every physical.

One thing is for sure, the health care system in this country is seriously broken. And it's incredible that anyone (the Republican scoundrels, for example) want to keep it. Let's let them keep it for themselves. And let's get a decent health care system for us! Then see how long it takes the Republicans to come sneaking over for something decent.

No Filibuster Tonight

The Dems managed to hold together 60 votes to stave off a filibuster and now can proceed to debate health care. (Wow, I hate the Republicans!)

Of course this doesn't mean anything for actually getting the bill passed in any decent way or time. Already Senators Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Lieberman, Lincoln, and Benedict Arnold are on record as opposing some aspect of the proposal. Some even saying they will filibuster later on.

Leading me to ask the age-old question, If we can't trust Democratic senators to support the Democratic agenda, why again do we need them?

Sarah Palin Stiffs Her Supporters

The Quitter strikes again, this time quitting her round of autograph-giving a little prematurely at a Borders bookstore somewhere.

It made for lovely footage with Sarah Palin inside the big tour bus and a crowd outside shouting "Sign our books" and "Booo!!!!"

At this point, why would you want her signature? If she hasn't got time to follow through on an apparent commitment to sign your book, just use it to line your bird cage.

Real nice lady. On to the next town!

Would Alaska Really Want Palin Back?

I was walking through a hallway today and heard one of those snippets of random conversation that you sometimes hear.

The conversation was about politics, obviously, because a guy was saying he had a friend or relative who lives in Alaska, who told him that people in Alaska really like Sarah Palin and would gladly elect her governor again if she wanted to return to the office.

I kept going. I don't like hearing conversations like that. But I wonder. Are Alaskans really generally that clueless? I hope not.

Health Care Moving Along

The Senate has come out with something that the various senators seem to like, more or less. So we can hope that they will get it moving along, so it's not dragged out forever.

But who knows? We have this crumb, Ben Nelson. He's out there saying he would be willing to be the lone Democrat who'd sink the whole thing. So he's obviously a Bad News Bear.

Other than that ... we may or may not get something done. But so far so good, apparently.

Cheney, Bah!

President Obama is taking flak from the Republicans for showing respect for foreign leaders, such as a commonplace gesture in Japan, bowing to the Japanese emperor.

This is no big surprise, since of course he'd be taking flak from the Republicans if he didn't show respect for foreign leaders. If we've learned anything about the Republicans by now, it's that they're mad if the sun comes up and they're mad if it goes down.

Now the biggest, rottenest, sleaziest Republican of them all -- one of the biggest, rottenest, and sleaziest anyway -- Dick Cheney says it shows "weakness." You see where this is going, I hope? If Dick Cheney is criticizing you, you must be doing something right. I wouldn't take advice from Dick Cheney on any subject if he handed out free lollipops.

They're talking about a new prison for terrorists. Can we get a cell strong enough to hold Dick Cheney? The man's a world menace. And that goes for his brain-addled family as well.

Palinmania

When it comes to political books, for the most part I'll pass. I don't want to waste my money on all this, people's memoirs.

In the heat of a campaign I do think how interesting it'll be "next year" or the year after to learn how things were really going behind the scenes. But by the next year I've already moved on in my interest. So I'm no longer that interested. And this is true every time, not just this year.

Plus, it's Sarah Palin. She's a train wreck. I didn't like her even a tiny bit last year, so there's no way I'm going to give a dime for a book she (or someone else for her) wrote. I wouldn't actually want it if they were passing them out free. This is true for lots of books, but Republican books deserve a special place in hell as far as I'm concerned.

I don't understand why most people would want to give her the time of day. Is anything more obvious that she's a crumb? To think anyone would turn over a job with the responsibility of the presidency to her is beyond my ability to understand. Like that job out of all the others is something that can adequately be done well by just any idiot. George W. Bush proved it's not true.

Republicans Play The Fear Card -- Again

Maybe this is the only card these guys have, the fear card.

The latest thing (two things) that America needs to be "verrrrrrry afraid" of are, 1) Putting the terrorism suspects on trial; 2) Moving the Gitmo bunch to a prison in Illinois.

It seems to be like the obvious implication of the fear card is that the Republicans don't believe America is up to any challenge. Whatever we want to do, according to the Republicans, we can't do it. Don't try. Simply stop in your tracks and no nothing. Whether it's health care, climate change, and now dealing with the terrorism suspects in some kind of rational way, it simply cannot be done! It almost makes you wonder why they want to hold office, since they're only message is, No. Stay inside, cover up your head, and shiver in fear.

How we were ever able to keep these guys in Gitmo all these years without them getting loose, I guess there's no explanation for that. It must be luck. Because the Republicans certainly don't think we have any competence. We've been keeping people in prison for centuries -- and the prison technology is improving all the time -- but suddenly it can't be done.

So the Republicans' message is, Since it can't be done, you better be afraid that someone is trying to do it, because they're sure to fail. It's hard to picture them agreeing with Ronald Reagan that it's "Morning In America," because all they see is sunsets. The sun has set on America's ability to succeed, according to the Republicans. Failure is not just an option, it's our only option!

We might wonder, Why would anyone vote for these clowns? I guess they're banking on fear, since it was good in the Bush years for a while. The more afraid we are, the more we'll huddle in close to the Republicans to keep us safe. But since they're doctrine clearly is It can't be done, that's small comfort. We need the Republicans to keep us safe, but the terrorists are going to get us -- like they said, it's not a matter of if but when.

OK, my take on this. I'll take someone a little more optimistic. Like President Obama. Who thinks not only can we maintain the American system of justice, but we can succeed at things we put our mind to.

I don't think these terrorism suspects are 40 feet tall with four arms and an ability to conceal an arsenal up their arsenhole. Since they're people -- this is a big surprise, people just like we are -- we, being people just like they are, ought to be able to handle them, especially given our superior position as the jailER and not the jailEE.

Good grief, Republicans. Please go away and think it over. Americans want an optimistic message. A steady stream of We can't do it doesn't quite cut it.

Ouch! The RNC, That's Gotta Hurt!

I was stunned to hear that the Republicans provided abortion coverage in the insurance plan of their employees. And since 1991.

How exactly that happens, with their staunch opposition to choice, and for that long, I do not know. It seems like someone somewhere would've known about it and mentioned it over the years. That's virtually 20 years!

But it can't do them any good as far as their supporters go. It seems like it would be disheartening to the typical conservative Republican donor. Like, Why should I support them? They're just hypocrites.

I'd like to see a new, purer third party -- the Tea Party set -- really showing the Republicans how it should be. That would go a long way toward making this situation right.

Every Third Person Would Vote For Palin

To me, Sarah Palin is a complete disaster -- a train wreck, a ship wreck, a crashed plane, a kamikaze, you name it, she's no good. I seriously would not vote for her under any circumstances. She is dangerous in the extreme.

So I was interested in this sentence in an article in The Nation about the level of support she would get as a presidential candidate:

While the percentage of Republican voters who say they would seriously consider voting for Palin for president stands at 65 percent, among all voters the figure is mired at 33 percent.

"Mired at 33 percent" of course isn't good enough to win. But that's very bad news on a different level. Every third person we see, among voters, would subject this country to her! Good grief, are we insane?

We've had one moron as president, George W. Bush. It's not a job that just any random idiot can handle.

Tom Coburn Blocking Veterans Insurance

I've heard all the outrage -- and it's been great -- about Sen. Tom Coburn (Republican, of course, of Oklahoma) blocking veterans insurance funding.

He has a "hold" on it and apparently it cannot move forward without him releasing his "hold."

My outrage on this is that there is such a rule in the first place. What kind of moronic rule is it that allows a senator single-handedly block something like this? The whole country comes to a standstill just because one senator says so?

At that point, how is it we get anything done? Put a "hold" on it and nothing happens.

Whatever -- he definitely ought to release his "hold" on this issue. Twerp.

I'm putting a "hold" on the rule in the first place. Get rid of it.

They Executed The D.C. Sniper

Yea! I'm not going to miss him.

He had his chance at life and this is what he accomplished, shooting random people through a hole in his car's trunk. Good riddance.

Stupid Guy Of The Day

The stupid guy of the day is a Marine reservist in Florida who mistook a Greek Orthodox priest for an Arab terrorist and, allegedly, proceeded to beat him with a tire iron.

He then called the police and turned the priest over to the police. Later the priest was treated at a hospital and released.

They have a nice picture of our stupid guy of the day at the above link.

Way to go, Brainiac!

Bob Dylan's Christmas Album

Probably no mention of this album would be complete without asking if Bob Dylan should still be singing.

I love the guy completely. Always have. But really, his throat is absolutely shot.

I got it and sat down with my sweetie to listen to it. She's not quite as reverential when it comes to Dylan as I, and she was very cruel about her quick review of the album. It took some convincing on my part to get her to give it a chance.

I'm going, "But it's Bob Dylan." And yet, she had a point. It doesn't sound that great. Maybe it would've sounded not so bad if the background singers and music weren't so tone perfect. Like if you had it like one of Neil Young's grungier albums, then had Bob Dylan doing Christmas songs.

I don't think this one will go on the iPod. If I ever want to hear it, I'll just put it on the CD player. And keep it turned down fairly much.

Republican Opposition To Health Care Reform

The health care reform bill passed the House. Now it has the bigger hurdle of the Senate, which promises to be an excruciating process.

It's not a perfect bill, of course, like anything that the corporate interests get their greedy paws on. But since we can have perfect, we may as well having something. Certainly they haven't been doing us any favors without reform. It's all cutthroat and it's our throats they cut. If they'd just cut their own and hurl themselves over a cliff that'd be fine.

It ends up with "We The People" sitting here taking the brunt of it. And that's not fine.

Then we have the Republicans, also known as the scourge of the country. Naturally, these crooks voted en masse against the people, except for one lone holdout from Louisiana. They've showed once again -- not that we'd forgotten; we hadn't -- that they are as worthless as they come, and that every one of them, if it were only possible, should be drummed out of office.

It is sickening, very sickening, that we can have these guys just blatantly opposed to anything that might do anyone some good, and get away with it. The big trouble is, not that we couldn't vote them out, but that so many people are fooled into thinking they have their interests at heart. They don't.

Anyone Could Be A Congressman

Being a Congressman has to be the easiest job in the world. Like Steve King, Republican of Iowa, in this video. It's easy because no matter how stupid you are, there's someone out there who thinks you're doing a great job.

Steve King is guilty of one outrage after another -- that in a more refined time would've been called faux pas -- and yet he keeps getting elected. He's in the news all the time, one phony baloney thing after another and there's no penalty to pay.

Who couldn't do this job? Just channel forth your inner stupid, stand back, and people love you!

Chickenhawk Tom Tancredo Pwned -- Must See

Yes! It's great to see the bad guys get it once in a while. Tom Tancredo is among the worst of the worst.

The only problem with this clip is the host invites him back. I'd love to see Tom Tancredo storm off the set and keep on going. Find a cliff somewhere and take a long walk.

Kudos to Kos! We need more of this. Put these chickenhawk Republicans in their place. Speaking for veterans. Ha!

Is Everyone Who Disrupts Things A Hero?

I was reading about the tea party rebellion -- who I think are simply a bunch of nuts, but that's just my opinion. They were incited to show up and "scare" our Congress people today by Michelle Bachmann, a crazy person from Minnesota.

In the course of their tirades, some were arrested, leading them to be instantly given "hero" status and to be likened to Martin Luther King, perhaps the Apostle Paul or Jesus, and who knows what others!

So everyone who shows up at a political meting and disrupts things and gets arrested now is a "hero"? That's a stretch. I wonder if the tea party people would say the same thing about people from the left, like the crazy protesters at the big international meetings, who flood the streets and do disruptive things and get arrested, if they're heroes. Somehow I doubt it.

It's like the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. (I also heard them labeling themselves freedom fighters.) It depends on which side you're on.

My question remains: Where were these people when George W. Bush was president? He was ruling this country like a madman and flushing the United States down the toilet both at home and internationally. It seems like they might've uttered at least a single peep in all those years. Or perhaps have had a cup of tea.

It still looks to me simply like sour grapes. The Republicans were thrown out. We got a Democratic president. And they can't abide by the results, like we had to with George W.

Annoying Updates

I just had the annoying Windows update today that pops up every five minutes asking if you want to restart now or later. For some idiotic reason there's no option to say "Don't bother me for the next eight hours." They're very insistent and ridiculous.

And of course there's a constant Java update to be hearing about. I swear, I don't know precisely what they're updating, but whatever it is, these people definitely have a steady job. Sometimes I don't think there's really any update at all, that they're just trying to rope more people into installing the Yahoo toolbar. Good grief. How about just doing an update or having an option that says "I Never Want The Yahoo Toolbar"?

No mention of annoying updates would be complete without the constant, steady updates for iTunes. It's never just a tiny patch either. The entire everything has to be downloaded. I have a slow computer. So it slowly plods through the entire process over the course of a light year or two.

All the badgering. How about you guys get it right the first time?

Obama's Lack Of Fight

How can the president just sit there and take this? Why does he have a lack of fight?

WaPo: On the other side, Democratic strategists worry that progressives, disgusted by the big money bank bailout and disillusioned with President Barack Obama's lack of fight on issues such as a government-run health insurance plan, might keep some people from voting. That could cost Democrats seats up and down the ballot. [My bold]

Why doesn't President Obama fight for us? It's bizarre.

Now Harry Reid is suggesting they might not get health care done this year!

The time for extracting one's head from one's posterior is now.

Little Things Mean A Lot

One little inch a year, that's all it takes to make an ocean.

Some scientists -- who perhaps grew up with chemistry sets and boggled everyone's minds -- are saying that there could one day, in a million years, be a new ocean in Africa.

I know, that's a heck of a place to put it, but where else would it go?

The whole thing has to do with the movement of the earth's plates. And since the earth has all the time in the world, even if it barely shifts in its seat once in a blue moon, you multiply that times infinity and little things mean a lot.

Once this plate goes that way a half inch, and this plate goes that way a half inch, a whole buncha times, in a million years you wouldn't recognize the place.

It boggles the mind. It also makes me sad. Because I'm thinking everything I own will either be gone or in a museum in a million years.

The GOP Rallying?

I hear the GOP has a couple of possible victories tomorrow. That's bad news, if so. Because I don't want those crumbs to have a rally.

Before you go to vote, remember, who was it who ran this country in the ditch? And who is it who doesn't have a single idea now to get us out and on a better course? The Republicans.

We've got President Obama but he can't do it alone. And a bunch of Democrats who act like they're Republicans. They're no good. We definitely don't need any more actual Republicans.

As I recall, the Republicans started two wars that they couldn't end. Now we're stuck with that, seemingly forever.

The most egregious thing I heard all day was this: the Congressman who should "You Lie" at the president, Joe Wilson, was blaming Obama for there not being enough H1N1 vaccine. But then it came out that Joe Wilson himself voted against funding for the vaccine.

Good grief, man. If you voted against the vaccine, at least have the decency not to complain that there isn't enough! This ought to be grade school common sense.

People's Irrational Fear Of Health Care Reform

There was a cartoon in the paper that made light of "Obamacare," with that being the scariest costume that some kid could wear on Halloween.

I'm repulsed by something like that. There's nothing to fear from health care reform, as far as I'm concerned. If anything, we ought to be afraid they don't get anything done. Because the health insurance industry sure hasn't been doing us any favors.

As far as the insurance companies are concerned, we're walking ATMs. Whatever money they demand, we spit out, no questions asked. And every year it's the same, more money, less benefits. When I say "every year," I mean that literally. They are not doing us any favors.

So what are people so afraid of? That the insurance companies won't be able to kick us out for preexisting conditions? Yes, that's terrifying. That you'll be able to have your health care if you switch jobs. Oh, how scary. That there won't be these arbitrary lifetime benefit caps? Wow, I'm quaking in my boots.

How anyone can be on the side of the health insurance racket in this country, I do not know. Unless you're in their pocket and being provided for by them, like the Republicans and some Democrats. Or you're an executive there.

Otherwise, what have we got to lose, except being picked over mercilessly by these vultures?!

New York Congressional Race

I haven't been paying close attention to the congressional race in New York this coming week. But suddenly I've noticed more and more about it, so now I'm tuned in.

I don't know who to root for. Naturally I favor the Democrat. And actually hope he wins.

The Republicans are having quite a time of it, with their official candidate "suspending" her campaign. And not "suspending" it as in a John McCain stunt, "suspending" it in that she quit.

A lot of the big wingnut wheels of the GOP didn't want her anyway. She was a moderate and all they want are people as crazy as themselves. Sarah Palin crazy, Rick Perry crazy, I mean crazy, secessionist crazy.

So they have a third party guy who was actually running as an independent but now he's got the official endorsement of the Republicans. It's weird.

I was reading a column by Frank Rich. And he buoyed my spirits. Because his take on it is even if the Republicans win, they still lose. Because it opens the way for these wingnut/teabaggers to be optimistic enough to nominate their own brand of loony candidates all over the country. Of course the rest of us won't vote for them. And they lose. Or they could lose by having the Democrat win, obviously.

I would like to see the Democrat win. Because I don't want anything to happen to make this wing of the GOP optimistic. Let them sink in quicksand, is my wish for them.

Worthless Lieberman To Stump For GOP

Can we kick this worthless turncoat out of the caucus yet?

"I probably will support some Republican candidates for Congress or Senate in the election in 2010. I'm going to call them as I see them."

The words of Sen. Joe Lieberman. Our VP candidate in 2000. And traitor.

Palin Vs. Johnston

You got to love the craziness that is Sarah Palin's life and family, now with her ex-almost son in law, Levi Johnston. He and the daughter weren't ever married, were they?

I can't believe this guy has the staying power he does. He's becoming a household name. If we only had Hollywood Squares back he'd have a career forever. (That show is off the air, right?)

He's been dishing the dirt on Crazy Sarah and her crazy family of moose killers. He even says he has worse dirt that he's not willing to say, because even he has limits.

That's intriguing. What else have these people been doing and saying that is bound to be a scandal. And to think we could've had her in the White House. Then we could be dysfunctional 24/7. Speaking of dysfunctional, what ever happened to the Balloon Boy? He not only fell out of the air, he seems to have fallen out of the news.

I love the latest one, that Sarah routinely called her baby "my retarded baby." That might not be the exact quote, but it's close. She probably said it in a playful way, like I say to my dog, "I'm gonna get you!" like I'm mad but I'm obviously playing. "How's my little retarded baby today? You little dickens!" So really it's kind of sweet when you look at it that way.

It's like giving it to him in a playful way, letting him know she's OK with the word, getting rid of its stigma. I don't remember the vote where we excluded it from conversation.

Anyway, I've said the word "crazy" a few times in this post. That's also one of those things that probably shouldn't be said. But it comes naturally to the tongue.

Palin, you're crazy. Levi, you're not much better. Now he's posing for Playgirl. I didn't even know there will still such thing as Playgirl magazine. That's three things I don't hear of much: Hollywood Squares, Balloon Boy, and Playgirl magazine.

Blend 54, Where Are You?

I was at the store in the express line, where they have the cigarettes, and I saw they have a new brand of Marlboro. It's called Marlboro Blend No. 54.

54? Did they focus group the number 54 with cowboys and find that's exactly the number that would seduce them into giving up their lungs? Man, I wouldn't smoke 48, 51, none of 'em. Just 54.

I'm picturing a cigarette scientist somewhere, emptying tobacco from one test tube to another until, Eureka! My 54th blend is the best. No reason for another!

Really, so they're still coming out with new brands of cigarettes? Haven't people basically wised up about cigarettes. They're a death trap.

Adam Lambert's Album Cover

There it is.

It's called "For Your Entertainment."

I guess it looks OK.

Harry's Doing The Right Thing

I hope.

I want the public option in the health care bill. And that's what Harry Reid says is going to happen on the Senate side.

Now, just to get it by the obstructionists among the Republicans and even among the Democrats. If they get in the way, kick 'em. And take names.

I read somewhere where it said "only" 16-18 million people would benefit by the public option. ONLY? That's a lot of people!

Terrorists Just Want To Have Fun

Here's a couple of insights from EverdayInsight on Twitter. They seem more interesting by their sequence.

The first is very benign, "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." This is why the terrorists rarely succeed. They're not having enough fun. Instead, they "harm their own cause no matter how valid their concerns might be."

A Major Ipod Incident Today

I had a major iPod incident today, and it was all my fault.

A couple days ago I was deleting files on my computer, trying to free up space and also do various things to make it work faster. I deleted the various iTunes files in the My Music folder, and it never occurred to me that would be a mistake. Since I keep my tracks on an external hard drive, my assumption was everything was kept track of there.

When I say it never occurred to me it would be a mistake, that's true. I never gave it a second thought till today when I opened iTunes and it didn't have a library of tracks. At first I thought there must be something wrong with iTunes, so I closed it and reopened it to the same thing. Then it suddenly came to my mind ... do you suppose those files I deleted were important?

Yes, they were.

At this point I didn't know what to do except start over. So I did just that. Erased everything. Fortunately I have the original tracks in a separate folder, so I reimported what I felt like having on the iPod now. It takes some time.

It looks like there would've been better ways to do it. Now that I've looked around at the other options. But I didn't notice those, so I stumbled around the best I could. In short, I lost everything except my original tracks. But now I'm back in the game. I have over 1,000 tracks restored on it.

The GOP's Dying Elephant

This stinking rotten elephant is down. Would someone please put it out of its misery? It'd make us all happier.

Frank Gaffney Is Endlessly Worthless

I haven't seen Frank Gaffney for quite a while. He of the endlessly hawkish, neocon views. He won't be happy till we're at war with everyone.

I see he was on Hardball tonight, with Ron Reagan also as a guest.

And here's what he had to say:

"Your father would be ashamed of you," Gaffney said.

"Oh Frank," Reagan replied, "you better watch your mouth about that, Frank."

Gaffney's not decent enough to leave Reagan's father out of it. Big deal. Who knows what the Gipper would think? It's disgusting to throw that in Ron's face. Just pretend for a while that Ron is a separate person from his father and has a right to think whatever it is he thinks.

Debate him on the merits of the thing, not trying to "shame" him by saying he would be some kind of disappointment to his dad. Sheesh.

I never had any use for Frank Gaffney ... all through those terrible Bush years.

Dare We Hope?

The word on the public option, aka Medicare Part E, sounded promising today, listening to Keith Olbermann and his guests. He and the congressman he had one were optimistic.

It's hard to follow all the excruciating details on this thing. Personally I don't see what the hold up is. But hey, of course we know some of our beloved Congressmen (and women) are in the pockets of the big interests.

Still, maybe enough public support, anywhere from 56% to 71%, ought to hold some sway. I'd love to hold these guys' feet to the fire somehow. But what can we do?

We're hoping things work out for the best. It's a drag having a government that is so tone deaf. But this is what we have to work with now. Hopefully someday we can throw some of the scoundrels out and get someone more responsive to the people.

Harry, Vaporize The Republicans NOW

There's an interesting story that Harry Reid plans to pull out all the stops, even to "vaporize" his Republican opponent in the Nevada Senate race.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is prepared to run a sharply negative campaign if that’s what it takes to win reelection next year, with a top adviser predicting that the Nevada Democrat will “vaporize” his Republican challengers with attack ads.

I like that kind of fighting spirit! Go for it!

But here's an idea. You're already in the Senate, leading the majority Democrats against the Republicans. How about vaporizing the Republicans now? Right where you are. It seems from the outside looking in like there's an awful lot of congeniality and playing footsie going on. Don't do it. If we have them against the ropes, knock them out. Don't wait for the election to do what you ought to be doing now!

Secret Service Overwhelmed By Threats Against Obama

The Secret Service is getting so many threats against President Obama's life that they need to cut back in their other duties.

Does anyone see a problem here? I think the solution is to put some of these nutcases on trial, get long prison terms for them, publicize it, and maybe it will make the other scoundrels think before they threaten the president's life.

What's the current penalty? An interview and forget it? Well, don't forget it. Prosecute diligently to the fullest extent of the law.

This is ridiculous and should be addressed with a strong arm.

Industrial Strength Men (And Women)

I was looking at one of the magazines at the fitness club.

(I'm a fitness freak. I show up about once every four days when I'm not being good. Heh, I'm not a fitness freak exactly. Just someone trying not to die too early, but it's a challenging thing to keep up.)

The mag: "Men's Fitness." It had two covers, if I was looking at it right, because the cover in the picture is actually an ad. Then the real cover is after it.

The saying "Release Your Inner Superman" could be the slogan for the whole magazine, the parts I looked at. Because the guys and gals pictured in it are definitely industrial strength. Lots of rippling muscles and manly stuff.

The women are very tough looking too. Not muscle builder tough but looking good -- in the industrial sense of the word. You might be afraid to touch one of them.

My fitness routine isn't going to get me there. But I guess I can live with that.

A Kindle

There's now a Kindle in the family, not mine.

I'm going to be testing it out with a book, though, in case I want to get one. Right now I'm not a big fan, for various reasons. One, it seems a little tough to navigate to various places in a book. But I haven't really had much of a chance to mess with it.

And looking at the books at Amazon that are available, it doesn't seem like an endless selection yet. It still looked pretty limited even at thousands.

But who knows? If I get some face- and hand-time with it, maybe I'll be captivated.

Also I want to see if there's some way of brightening it up. It seems a little too dull looking for my eyes. We shall see how it works out. So far ... not much experience.

Who's Karzai's Favorite Monkee?

Look at the first picture. Karzai with the almost-omnipresent hat. How does he keep it on? Look, it's a mile above his ears. It ought to slip off all the time.

You can see the after picture, that his head is as slick as Antarctica. What's keeping that hat on?

Beyond that, who is Karzai's favorite Monkee? It'd have to be Mike with the hat of course. I wonder what Mike thinks when he sees all those old pictures of him in a green hat. Why was I wearing a stocking hat?

The Boy In The Balloon

The boy in the balloon somehow beamed himself down, back to his house. They're investigating how he did it.

They saw him very clearly in the cockpit of the craft. They were watching, and next thing they knew he'd vanished.

Boehner Wants It Both Ways On The Stock Market

Back when the stock market was low, John Boehner said, "Certainly the stock market hasn't acted very well" since Obama's inauguration.

But now that it's finally closed over 10,000, he says, "At the end of the day, the American people aren't looking at the stock market in terms of putting food on the table. They want jobs, and they want them now."

Boehner might want to think back. President Obama's cleaning up the Republican party's mess. And doing a pretty good job of it. This old crap about not giving Obama credit for anything but giving him the blame for everything is so obviously false.

Why would anyone vote for these Republican liars?

They're With The Taliban Against America

Eugene Robinson has a great column about President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize and the lunatic fringe Republican response.

We will recall that Rush Limbaugh pointblank said he was with the Taliban on this one, in renouncing the award. In a bygone era, say a year ago, that would have been a "Hanoi Jane" moment. Robinson's use of that phrase points out what everyone seems to have forgotten: You're with US or the terrorists.

Now there were some Republicans who publicly did the right thing. Like John McCain, who for all his lack of sense a year ago, seems to know now it's better to be gracious than not.

I wanted to get in this great paragraph from Eugene Robinson:

Let the rejectionists fulminate and sputter until they wear their vocal cords out. Politically, they're only bashing themselves. As Republican leaders -- except RNC Chairman Michael Steele -- are beginning to realize, "I'm With the Taliban Against America" is not likely to be a winning slogan.

That's funny. You would think these idiots -- Michael Steele, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck -- would think before they open their yaps.

Health Insurers Promise To Gouge Us More

This is seriously an industry in need of some vast, sweeping reform. This is an industry that needs to be put on trial, actually, and some folks ought to be doing some serious time. The health insurance racket is criminal.

People are dying for the crass decisions they make on a daily basis. And the rest of us are simply going broke. Getting less, paying more.

Now they say they'll have no choice but to gouge us even more(!) -- their own claim -- if we do have health care reform. LOL. If anyone's crying out for a serious spanking, this is an industry that is!

I want our government to somehow extract themselves from the pockets of these worms, then to serve the people who voted for them. We need aid. We are beset upon by dangerous enemies, domestic enemies, who are every bit as dangerous as terrorists. That's true.

More people are dying at the hands of the health insurance industry than terrorists kill.

Too bad we couldn't stop them THERE before they came HERE. They're FROM here. And we need to stop them now.

Nancy & Lee

I got this as a download at Amazon the other day. It's one of the 50 albums at $5 for the month.

I've listened to it several times. It's cool.

I'm old enough to remember hearing the big songs on the radio, so I'm not coming to it fresh. But this is the first time I've ever heard the album with everything in context.

For the most part, the big songs, "Jackson" and I believe "Summer Wine," are very much like the other songs. Which is good.

The first song, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," if you don't know what's coming on, Lee sounds like a frog. But once you get over that, his craggy old voice is very pretty (to me anyway).

Nancy has always been represented in my album collection by her "Boots" album, which I've always liked, except we laugh at a song like "Run For Your Life."

But back to this album. Nancy and Lee's vocals are effortless -- no one's being especially stretched. Still, that's OK. I like the laid back vibe of it. The little bits of banter are cute, like Bing and Rosie.

The silliest song is "Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman." The first time through didn't appeal to me but I like it OK now. I do remember something about an "Economic Opportunity Program" in the Johnson years... Can't think what they called it exactly. Nancy says she can't even pronounce that!

Most of the songs have a serious tone to them. These are very nice, including "Summer Wine," "Sundown Sundown," and my favorite, "Storybook Children." I could listen to these over and over.

"Jackson" was a big hit and ought to be familiar to everyone who was alive at the time.

"Some Velvet Morning" is also familiar, so it must have been on the radio. It's more of a free ranging, strange poetry, psychedelic song. I'm not sure what Phaedra means. Something to do with goddesses and flowers, I guess. It's Lee's experience in the song, how she gave him life and how she made it end. It's easily the most far out song (and very nice).

"Sand" reminds me of a western song with a Mideastern twist. Maybe his name is Sand because he blows in from somewhere on the western plains or Arabian desert. I said "Some Velvet Morning" was psychedelic, but it's "Sand" that has the strange backwards played instrumental break. Nancy uses "thee" and "thy" language in regards to Sand.

With the song "Lady Bird" I'm expecting something about Mrs. Johnson, but there aren't any references that have to do with her. So that's a relief. It's just a guy who has a "Lady Bird" in his woman, who's always flying high. Maybe Twittering.

The last song is "I've Been Down So Long (It Looks Like Up To Me)." Just a down on my luck song, applied to Lee. Another song on the funny side.

I didn't mention "Elusive Dreams." That's a serious song about a couple who roam from place to place in pursuit of their elusive dreams. Their child died in Alaska (that's the way I take it), so that's sad.

Nothing Happened Today

President Obama didn't win any major awards. I believe he thoroughly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, but it's OK to go a day without anything big.

We're again at peace with the moon. Although I thought it was suspicious that I didn't see it in the sky last night. I didn't freak out, because I assume if we blew it apart it would've been on the headlines.

And Marge Simpson limited herself to Playboy, although she is said to be in talks with Larry Flynt for more.

John Lennon's Birthday

I think today is John Lennon's birthday. I'm not looking it up to be sure. But I'm pretty sure it is.

So happy birthday, John Lennon! I also believe he was born in 1940. Going out on a limb on that one.

The Taliban, Hamas, And Republicans

Who's against President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize?

The Republican party, the Taliban, and Hamas.

Birds of a feather.

Who's against America? The same bunch.

So Is It Going To Happen?

Yesterday I saw somewhere, someone said that health care reform was essentially "fait accompli," which looks like "fat accomplice" misspelled.

So I take it it's a done deal. And now we're all excited that there could be an opt-out option for the states who don't want better health care for their residents. I can see some of the benefits of this option, because those states might see their residents fleeing for other states and decide that health care is important.

Would I want to live in a state that would just as soon I died? Not really. I like that whole concept of society appreciating my existence enough to let me live. But if the Republicans had their way, of course we'd all be worked to death to enrich them, then hustled off to some death farm ... our bodies used to feed hogs or something. LOL. The Republicans are probably so evil they're going, How'd that guy find out about the farms?

In other news, I saw a weird story that Justice officials refused to take an oath before testifying before Congress ... so whatever hearing it was didn't happen. It said something about the Obama administration not wanting them to swear to tell the truth. I don't know. It just struck me as very weird. Is there some black handbook they give you when you're president, of secrets that must not be divulged? A box with cloaks and daggers that you have to guard?

It strikes me as very weird that as soon as Obama became president that we couldn't investigate Bush, couldn't get rid of some of the terrible practices of Bush, etc.

So there must be something they show you when you become president, and you step back and say, Oh, my God, and decide you can't govern in an open and transparent way.

I still like Obama quite a lot. I just wonder what happens between Election Day and the day after the Inauguration!

Record Club Ads -- The Monkees

I always loved looking at record club ads in magazines when I was a kid. I never had any money to join them, but it was great to dream.

Now, thanks to the wonderful world of Google, we can see the ads again ... some of them anyway. They have full copies of old Life magazines there, which is quite a deal. The picture is from a two page ad for the RCA Victor Record Club, Dec. 22, 1967. Since I loved the Monkees (still do), I see they had three albums. I don't know why they didn't have the Pisces album on there, but it looks like the ad is clipped at the right hand side a little much. Maybe it was at the margin.

Of course I put the little Monkees covers at the top for this illustration, since they were scattered across the ad.

It's cute on Headquarters they highlight "Band 6," as though that's a great track to promo! And I wonder why, for the little cover they put a blue background.

Helping Or Hurting Obama

I was with some guys today. They must get all their news from Fox. They're very anti-Obama.

One "heard" that there's some definitive proof about to be given that President Obama wasn't born in the United States and therefore can't be president. Another thought, Oh yes, he'll be president ... because there's so nefarious power out there that will make it happen.

Then the first guy said he thinks it's looking more and more like Obama is the Antichrist. Something about his eyes!

And of course he's subverting religion, Obama did something different than other presidents in regards to the National Day of Prayer. Religion is going to be eliminated or outlawed, etc.

This is all very disgusting to me, and it's sad to hear it.

But then on the other hand, I have to think this isn't hurting President Obama all that much. The more marginal these crazy criticisms become, the more it appears that his opposition is unhinged from reality. And who are all the "normal" people out there who are going to be that influenced by this insanity?

Anyone who believes this garbage about the president isn't going to vote for him anyway. The good news is those folks, the conspiracy theory crowd, seem to be marginalizing themselves by all the nonsense. And they couldn't win in 2008 with these tactics.

So how would that be for irony? Those who think they're hurting Obama might be the very ones helping him the most.

They're Rushing Obama

The line today (Hardball, Saturday Night Live) is that President Obama isn't accomplishing anything, because we're still in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gitmo; health care reform isn't done; etc.

Just a few weeks ago he was being accused of doing too much, now too little. I don't think these people have his interests at heart. Since no one can be pleased.

As to Iraq, he promised to get out in something like 19 months or 20-some months, not overnight. Afghanistan, that's obviously going to go on for a while. Gitmo, they said it couldn't be closed in under a year, and it hasn't been ... who knows, it might take a little while.

As for the health care reform, I agree. Get the $%#@#$ done! I am furious that the president isn't in Congress knocking some heads, twisting some arms, and making some threats. Like you get this done or else! I don't remember any first year rebellion (or any other time) by the Republicans against George W. Bush. He's surely got the power to cut some of these Democratic cretins off at the knees. Break their kneecaps or something.

On some of this big stuff, the various morasses that Bush got us into, give the guy some time.